Gambling is an impulse control disorder that pushes the sufferer to play non-stop. The problem with this addiction is that it is generally not perceived as a disease, and many gamblers are not even aware of it. However, it is a more frequent evil than we think: Alfonso Sanz, from the Spanish Association of Private Psychiatry, believes thatup to 5 percent of the Spanish populationYou could have a gambling disease.
This disease has consequences for the lives of those who suffer from it: in adults there are memory losses and problems falling asleep, and young people drop in their school performance and show irritability and loss of interest in life. In addition, the disorder is increasingly common in adolescents, especially between 14 and 18 years. “Most young people play and have no problems because of this behavior,” Elena Ros, a psychiatrist at the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital in Barcelona, explained to Europa Press. “However, the prevalence of pathological gambling in adolescents has increased, exceeding the rates observed in adults.”
Although the environment influences the development of the disease, experts believe that some genes could also be involved. “Although we still have much to know about the neurobiological bases of addictions and dependencies, we believe that some factors that predispose to pathological gambling could be genetically conditioned”, explained Sanz.
On the other hand, gambling is a badmore common in males, although in recent years the percentage of women with the disease has increased. In general, men prefer sports betting and ‘Black Jack’, and women, bingo and arcade machines. Furthermore, females begin to play at a later age, while they do so in their youth.
